Wildlife Promise » EPA science reporthttp://blog.nwf.org
The National Wildlife Federation's blogFri, 31 Jul 2015 19:00:24 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3My Connection with a Riverhttp://blog.nwf.org/2013/12/my-connection-with-a-river/
http://blog.nwf.org/2013/12/my-connection-with-a-river/#commentsMon, 16 Dec 2013 20:38:18 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=89172Growing up in suburban Massachusetts, I learned to appreciate the quiet places by the water. Just out of sight from all the cars and sprawling McMansions lay the Sudbury River. Thanks to its designation as a “wild and scenic” river, the Sudbury feels like another world at points.

My family would go canoeing along it from time to time, and if I ever needed a moment I could always just walk near the wetlands that fed into the river. I was far from the only one there. We could see some fishermen by some of the bridges or on small boats, tossing their lines in and waiting around for a nibble. At the time I always thought it was nice of them to throw the fish back after they were caught.

A Murky Past…

One of the signs along the Sudbury posted by the EPA.

It was only years later that I understood why the fish were allowed to swim away. As the signs around the Sudbury River still warn, the fish contain mercury and are not safe to eat. Almost a hundred years ago the Nyanza chemical plant was built alongside the Sudbury River. From 1917 to 1978 the plant produced textile dyes and a host of other products, and as a consequence created vast quantities of chemical sludge as well. More than 45,000 tons of waste were simply buried on the Nyanza site and left in the area. The rest of this polluted material was lightly treated and then dumped in a small stream aptly named Chemical Brook. Seeping up from the ground and flowing down Chemical Brook, it didn’t take too long for mercury and other chemicals to pollute the Sudbury River. Fortunately our story does not end there.

…And a Cleaner Future

Thanks to the Clean Water Act, the Nyanza site’s pollution was stopped, and the plant closed in 1978. Added to the Superfund cleanup list, the Environmental Protection Agency began the long process of cleaning up the river and surrounding area in the early 1980’s. The buried pollutants were removed and destroyed, and a plan was developed to heal the river. This plan didn’t just look at the Nyanza site, but instead all of the wetlands and even smaller tributaries around the river as well. Thanks to this kind of comprehensive, scientific approach the Sudbury has been slowly nursed back to health.

Years ago the Clean Water Act made turning the nations waters into “fishable and swimmable” places a national goal, and for the Sudbury there is still plenty of work to be done. Still, in 1999, the river earned its Wild and Scenic designation and the fish are far healthier. While they may not be edible yet, the next phase of the cleanup has begun to reduce mercury levels in the river. New tests are being run, and land around the Sudbury’s reservoirs is being converted into new wetlands and wildlife habitat. It is the kind of care that ensures not only the river’s health, but the health of the wetlands and streams like Chemical Brook that feed the Sudbury, and the Concord River downstream, as well. As I learned canoeing along the Sudbury River, our nation’s waters are connected. What is poured into a stream does not stay there, and we cannot simply ignore the smaller waterways until they combine into one big problem.

You can help us with that. Between December 16-18, the EPA is reviewing a sound scientific report of what our upstream wetlands and streams mean for the health of our rivers and bays like the Sudbury.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2013/12/my-connection-with-a-river/feed/0Wetlands: Nature’s Gift to All of Ushttp://blog.nwf.org/2013/12/wetlands-natures-gift-to-all-of-us/
http://blog.nwf.org/2013/12/wetlands-natures-gift-to-all-of-us/#commentsFri, 13 Dec 2013 20:54:46 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=89049Tis the season of gift giving and receiving – all in the spirit of love, joy, generosity, and gratitude! Let’s take a moment from all the scurrying around for gifts that we do this holiday season, to appreciate our local wetlands and their bountiful – and priceless – gifts to all of us: clean water, protection from floods, wondrous and beautiful flora and fauna;

Take a Stand for Clean Water

This December, more than most, wetland experts are taking a hard look at the many ways in which wetlands give to all of us. From the flood protection and waterfowl gifted by the prairie potholes, to the water filtration and fish nurseries contributed by floodplain wetlands nationwide, to the recreational and commercial fisheries from coast to coast.

On December 16-18, while many of us are shopping away, wetland and stream scientists will be meeting in Washington DC to assess the contributions of wetlands upstream to the health and safety of rivers and bays downstream.

Our ability to protect and restore America’s wetlands and their gifts of health and safety to us all depend upon public understanding and valuing these wetland gifts.

This December, my thanks go out to the wetland scientists whose years of field work, scholarship, and wetland management help us all to understand the great gifts that wetlands bestow on all of us who share this planet and the great harm we do to communities and to nature when we allow them to be destroyed.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2013/12/wetlands-natures-gift-to-all-of-us/feed/0We OTTER Protect Clean Waterhttp://blog.nwf.org/2013/10/we-otter-protect-clean-water/
http://blog.nwf.org/2013/10/we-otter-protect-clean-water/#commentsMon, 21 Oct 2013 15:59:11 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=87264Looking beyond the hackneyed pun, the statement is as true as it ever was: we need to protect our waters in the United States. This includes all waters, particularly critical headwater streams, rivers, and wetlands – the very waters that our adorable otter friends rely on for their habitat and food.

A family of five curious River Otters in Lime Kiln State Park on Washington’s San Juan Island. Photo by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Tyler Davis.

Streams, regardless of their size or how frequently they flow, are connected to and have important effects on downstream waters. These streams supply most of the water in rivers, transport sediment and organic matter, provide habitat for many species, and take up or change nutrients that could otherwise impair downstream waters.

Wetlands and open-waters in floodplains of streams and rivers and in riparian areas are integrated with streams and rivers. Wetlandsstrongly influence downstream waters by affecting the flow of water, and trapping and reducing non-point source pollution.

Wetlands outside the floodplain (e.g. many prairie potholes, vernal pools, and playa lakes) provide numerous functions that can benefit downstream water quality and integrity. These functions include storage of floodwater; retention and transformation of nutrients, metals, and pesticides; and recharge of groundwater sources of river baseflow. The functions and effects of this diverse group of wetlands affect the condition of downstream waters if a surface or shallow subsurface water connection to the river network is present.

This is an overview of watershed elements discussed in the connectivity report. It illustrates that water and materials can move into streams and rivers through overland flow and groundwater flows. This is located on pg. 1-2 of the report

EPA’s Stream and Wetland Connectivity Report confirms that it is absolutely critical to protect small intermittent streams, headwaters, and wetlands from harmful contaminants. These upstream waters are intrinsically connected to our larger water bodies – contaminants flowing in to upstream waters will certainly have harmful effects on the health of rivers and lakes downstream – the very waters we rely on for recreation and our nation’s drinking water supplies.

It’s Imperative To Clarify Protections For Our Waters

The science is in: It is imperative that the administration move quickly to clarify protections for all of nation’s treasured waters – the waters you expect to be drinkable, fishable, and swimmable.